New York State

IF THERE is one thing that is guaranteed on the anniversary episode of EastEnders, it’s high drama.

As the soap celebrates 40 years on BBC screens with a special live episode and a blaze in The Queen Vic, viewers are wondering what will happen.

BBC

If there is one thing that is guaranteed on the anniversary episode of EastEnders, it’s high drama.[/caption]

BBC

Sonia and Bianca in the Queen Vic which will go on fire in the anniversary episodes[/caption]

BBC

Natalie has played the role of Sonia for three decades[/caption]

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Sonia in her early feisty days with the fan favourite Pauline Fowler[/caption]

Natalie Cassidy, 41, previously announced that she would be leaving EastEnders after three decades in Albert Square.

However, she stated that it was not her choice in the way Sonia leaves.

Ever since the decision was announced, fans have been wondering whether producers would really kill off such a legendary character.

What would such a move look like? Our writers battle it out.

Killing Ar Sonia would be a bad idea

By Joshua Rom

It’s fair to say that when it comes to the soap war, EastEnders is winning at the moment.

With multiple gripping storylines, live elements, stunts, pregnancies, both an attacker and a murderer on the loose, they are absolutely killing it.

But I don’t want the producers to become killers, which I think they might possibly be.

If Reiss dies, it will be a satisfying end to what has been a horrendously brilliant and gripping plot point.

There are rumours that Martin Fowler might get killed off after James Bye got rid of any mention of EastEnders from his social media bios.

That would be bad, but the worst mistake producers could make would be to kill off our favourite bisexual trumpet playing gal pal.

As a character, Sonia is simply an institution. The way she looks, the way she sounds, she is just so quintessentially EastEnders.

If she was allowed to grow old, I have no doubt that she would become a glorious London matriarch like we have seen before with Peggy, Pat, Angie and Dot.

Over the 32 (mostly) glorious years, she has helped to build the soap into what we see today.

She has had gritty and serious moments, but she has also made us laugh on many occasions.

Quite simply, the soap would not be the same without her. So if you can give her the option to return one day, why risk that?

But there is something else. Coronation Street is really struggling at the moment as both the audience and the cast look elsewhere.

It’s moments like the random killing of Les Battersby off-screen that solidify the mistakes in the minds of viewers at home.

As a character, Sonia is simply an institution

One might think that it shows that the lack of respect the writers and producers have for the legacy of the show.

Killing Sonia off on the live anniversary episode might be a good idea when it comes to spectacle and shock value.

However, when it comes to the long-term future of the soap, I might think again.

I want to see at least another 40 years of EastEnders on my screen, and a vital part of that is honouring the legacy that came before.

I don’t want to see Sonia’s death become just a headline in the Walford Gazette to be thrown away the next day.

Killing off an iconic and long-running character like Sonia, a role that still has potential, would be a big mistake.

Killing Sonia would be a great idea

by Caron McKinlay

I hear you Joshua but totally disagree, except with your opinion of wanting to see at least another 40 years of EastEnders on my screen!

As you say, just as Honey and Billy Mitchell are celebrating their wedding, a blast at the Vic will leave at least one character confirmed to die in the disaster.

The latest rumours flying around social media about who that might be include long term established characters Martin Fowler, Cindy Beale, Stacey Slater and Sonia Fowler.

The best choice the producers could make out of that list – would be the boring and sanctimonious Sonia.

No discredit to Natalie, who is a talented actor, who I hope goes on to bigger and better things.

Sonia is an annoying yawn fest now

But the writers have done her a huge disservice by turning her once lovable character into an annoying yawn fest.

Sonia grimaces around the square with her holier than thou attitude yet she is no saint.

Let’s remember she was in cahoots with Reiss stealing from his comatose wife and before that she even stole from the beloved Dot Cotton!

Believe me, this new Sonia would sell your Granny if there was something in it for her.

Yet she’s so often nasty to other characters who she thinks are doing wrong and argues with them in such a sanctimonious way.

Would you want to live on the same street as Sonia? Someone who’s constantly watching everyone and poking their nose in.

She’s into everyone’s business like she’s some great saviour who knows the answer to everyone’s problems especially if it’s a medical issue – Nurse Sonia will come to the rescue!

And if she was allowed to grow old, she would never become a glorious matriarch like we have seen before with Lou, Pauline and Dot.

She’s too dull, humourless and condescending for that.

Instead, we already have Eastenders’ women stepping up to the role in the form of the formidable Suki Panesar, unlucky in love Stacey Slater and of course survivor Cindy Beale.

So Sonia can take her trumpet and her whinging off to pastures new but the writers should be ashamed of what they’ve turned her character into over the years.

However, for the show to kill a main character, someone as iconic as Sonia – it would be such a brave and bold move.

And certainly not a disappointment unlike other big ticket episodes gone by in Soapland when it’s a more minor character who perishes as bosses aren’t brave enough to kill off a big name.

Sometimes, just sometimes, we have to let go of the past to move on to bigger and brighter things.

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Natalie in her younger days on the soap[/caption]

BBC

Sonia with her sister Bianca and the vile Reiss[/caption]

IF you are looking for a skincare saviour to combat blemishes, scarring and pigmentation, 47 SKIN might just be the answer.

The skincare brand uses silver in its winning formula and boasts celebrity fans like Millie Mackintosh have raved about its products online.

47 Skin Anti-Blemish & Scar Repair Serum, from £29

Former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh took to her social media to share staples from her skincare regime, captioning the post with: “My current morning routine… (when everything goes to plan) featuring some of my faves”.

The roundup included 47 Skin’s Super Hydrating Elixir and the brand’s best-selling Anti-Blemish and Scar Repair Serum.

The Super Hydrating Elixir retails for £39, while the Anti-Blemish and Scar Repair serum is priced from £29 for 30ml.

But right now beauty fans eager to try Millie’s favourites save 10% off selected skincare bundles, including the anti-blemish and scar treatment kit now £74 instead of £82.

The hero Anti-Blemish and Scar Repair serum has been formulated with Silver Chitoderm®, which 47 Skin claims is a hero ingredient thanks to its anti-bacterial properties.

47 Skin

The Anti-blemish and Scar Repair Serum is a bestseller[/caption]

47 Skin Anti-Blemish & Scar Repair Serum, from £29

A key feature for anyone with acne-prone skin or hyperpigmentation.

Not only does Silver Chitoderm® remove acne-causing bacteria, which can contribute to breakouts and blemishes, but it also creates a protective layer on the skin to prevent subsequent breakouts.

The serum has also been designed to reduce the appearance of scars and even out skin tone and texture while leaving skin glowing.

But it’s not just Millie who loves this holy grail product, beauty fans have been sharing their positive reviews online too.

One 47 Skin fan gushed: “I think it’s the best thing I’ve put on my face!

“It feels so much smoother and looks so much cleaner and not as oily.”

Another praised the formula, sharing: “Has a very pleasant smell and made a difference to my skin in less than 10 days, been using it for eight weeks.”

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“Not had a single spot or issue with my skin since I started using this!”

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MILLIONS of mobile and broadband customers face price hikes of up to 13% this year, despite the introduction of new rules designed to protect consumers.

Virgin Media and Vodafone are expected to confirm the exact increases to customer bills next tomorrow (February 19).

These changes follow Ofcom‘s new regulations, which require telecom companies to display mid-contract price rises in pounds and pence, replacing the previous system of linking price hikes to inflation.

Under the updated system, Vodafone mobile customers who signed up for a new contract on or after July 2 will see their bills rise by £1.80 per month, while broadband customers will face an increase of £3.

Virgin Media customers will see their monthly bills rise by £3.50 from April, but only if they signed up for a new service on or after January 9.

For the majority of customers who signed up before these cut-off dates, inflation-linked price increases will still apply.

However, this could result in smaller rises for some, as inflation rates have eased compared to previous years.

Vodafone applies January’s CPI inflation rate plus an additional 3.9%, while Virgin Media uses January’s RPI rate plus 3.9%.

The latest inflation figures for both CPI and RPI are set to be published by the Office for National Statistics at 7am tomorrow.

Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, said: “Recent rule changes for mobile and broadband mid-contract price rises apply to those taking or renewing contracts, so a large proportion of consumers can still expect to be hit by as-yet-unknown price hikes which they will only find out about on February 19.

“Many older contracts still have price increases based on January’s inflation rate, plus an additional 3.9%.”

While the introduction of fixed price hikes aims to make costs clearer it means that customers on the cheapest tariffs could end up paying more under the new system.

This is because many providers are implementing fixed increases that are higher than current inflation rates, which are hovering around 2-3%.

For example, Vodafone was one of the first providers to announce and apply their changes to all new contracts taken out from July 2, 2024.

This means customers who took out a new contract after this date will have price rises communicated in pounds and pence.

Those who took out a deal with them beforehand will still be subject to inflation-linked price rises and won’t know the exact amount they will be paying until tomorrow.

In many cases, the fixed pounds and pence increases results in a higher percentage rise than applying inflation-linked hikes.

For example, a £15 Vodafone SIM-only plan will jump by 12% to £16.80 under the pounds and pence model, versus a likely 6.4% increase under the old system.

This trend of steeper increases under the fixed-price system is also evident across the broadband industry.

For example, Virgin Media customers on the £25.99 a month plan face an 12% increase under the fixed-price model, compared to a potential 7.4% rise under the previous system which uses RPI.

This will mean that somebody taking out a contract now will see their bill rise to £29.49 a month, instead of £27.91 under the old method.

With CPI inflation now down to 2.5% and RPI hovering at 3.5%, Andrew Ferguson, editor of thinkbroadband.com, says that the shift from complex CPI plus percentage-based increases to straightforward pounds and pence rises may not be the boon it seems.

He argues that while inflation remains low, those on the cheapest contracts will be penalised the most by the new pounds and pence price hikes.

This discrepancy means that those on entry-level broadband or mobile contracts, often individuals from lower-income households, could end up paying more proportionally than those on premium packages. 

What other mobile and broadband bills are rising?

It’s not just Vodafone, Virgin Media and O2 hiking prices in April as a handful of providers are telling customers of increases.

Here’s what we know so far…

BT

BT, which also owns EE and Plusnet, said that from March 2025, the price of mobile contracts will rise by £1.50 a month (SIM-only) or £4 (handset plans).

Broadband tariffs will go up by £3 a month and £2 for TV.

But, the provider has assured vulnerable customers on BT Home Essentials contracts that they will be exempt from any price rises.

The pounds and pence rise will apply to contracts taken out from April 10, 2024.

For those who took out a deal before this, a 6.4% rise will apply (3.9% and January’s inflation rate, which was 2.5%).

Plusnet will also increase its broadband price by £3 per month from the end of March for contracts taken out after July 11, 2024.

For contracts started prior to this date, a 6.4% hike will apply.

Three

Three has said broadband increases will be capped at £2 and mobile prices between £1 and £1.50 depending on the data allowance.

The pounds and pence rises will apply for contracts taken out after September 8, 2024.

For those before rises are set at 6.4% (3.9% and January’s inflation rate, which was 2.5%).

Tesco Mobile

Tesco Mobile said someone on a £14.99 a month a deal would see their monthly contract price increase by 90p in April.

While, customers on a £30 a month deal will see their basic monthly price increase by £1.80.

That’s for contracts taken out after December 17, 2024. On those before this date, prices will rise 6.4% (3.9% and January’s inflation rate, which was 2.5%).

Sky

Sky said this week broadband and TV bills will rise by 6.2% from April 1.

While the new Ofcom rules require providers to specify future price rises in pounds and pence upfront, it only applies if they are linked to inflation.

Sky‘s are not, so it can go ahead with a percentage increase.

For example, if you currently pay £39 per month for Sky TV, Netflix, and Full Fibre 150 broadband, your bill will increase by £2.42, bringing the total to £41.42 a month.

The same rises will apply to NOW Broadband, which is owned by Sky.

If you’re on a broadband and mobile social tariff, you won’t see an increase to your bills because Sky and Now has frozen its tariffs.

Out of contract Sky Mobile customers will see bills rise by £1.50 a month.

Those in contract won’t see a rise.

Goro Majima stars in his first standalone Yakuza spin-off, which adds some pirate panache to last year’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

With upwards of 15 games over the past 20 years, the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series has always had to think carefully about how to attract new players into its ever-expanding crime universe. Some of the mainline games have been successful gateways, like Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, but the best place to start is often the standalone spin-offs, which include the murder mysteries of Judgment and historical samurai throwbacks in Like A Dragon: Ishin.

Or now there’s this new, spectacularly titled, spin-off. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii might star fan favourite character Goro Majima as the lead protagonist for the first time, but in this adventure, he’s come down with a classic equalising plot device: amnesia. With his past narrative baggage, as an aging ex-Yakuza leader, no longer a constraint Majima is free to gallivant on any whim the developer’s fancy.

Thankfully, the fantasy Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio chose perfectly matches Majima’s brand of anarchy. After washing up on an island with no memory of his past, Majima stumbles into the pirate life under the encouragement of his saviour Noah, a young boy who is desperate to leave his island home to see the world and break free from the rules imposed by his drunken father Jason – who has his own troubled history as a treasure hunter.

After a slow opening, the story grows in typical series’ fashion, as a tussle between various factions, with pirates, ex-Yakuza, and the leftovers of the religious Palekana cult from Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth all locked in a race for lost treasure. The story is technically set six months after the events of Infinite Wealth but there isn’t much important connective tissue, with most of the callbacks locked to optional side missions in the re-used Hawaiian setting.

If Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii works as an accessible entry point, long-time fans hoping for a deeper exploration of Majima’s character will be disappointed. Captain Majima might be at the helm of the ship but he’s largely an eccentric passenger in Noah and Jason’s story, which is serviceable at best.

In a similar vein to Kiryu’s spin-off Like A Dragon Gaiden, some great emotional payoff for Majima arrives at the end, but with a longer 20+ hour running-time, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii’s story is stretched and padded out to a far worse degree.

While the narrative feels like an afterthought, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii thrives in its combat. Like other spin-offs in the series, this entry moves away from the turn-based battles seen in the past two mainline games and builds on the original beat ‘em-up foundations.

The most transformative change is the jump button, a series’ first which opens up a surprising amount of possibilities in the heat of a ruckus – whether to simply dodge, pull off a dive attack, or launch enemies up for an air combo. It’s nothing you haven’t seen already in other third person action games, but in the context of the Like A Dragon series it’s a huge improvement over its brawler predecessors.

Majima’s extensive range of attacks make combat more dynamic. Along with his speedy Mad Dog fighting style from previous games, where he wields a knife, Majima can switch to the pirate licks of his Sea Dog style at the touch of a button. If the former is better suited to small one-on-one confrontations, Sea Dog is designed to wrangle large groups – with throwable cutlasses, a whip hook to lasso onto enemies from afar, and a supremely satisfying blunderbuss gun you can charge up to blast foes across the battlefield.

Beyond this, and the series staple heat actions, each style has its own special abilities tied to a madness gauge, which charges during battles. With Mad Dog, Majima can spawn multiple doppelgangers who will rush opponents and imitate your attacks, while Sea Dog has extravagant summons you can unlock, from shark attacks to electrifying jellyfish. When it’s all combined together, and you’re ripping through sword combos, counters, and setting off a killer parrot, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is a strong contender for the best combat in the series.

For most of our playthrough, we gravitated towards the Sea Dog style because, aside from some boss fights, you’re mostly facing off against large pirate crews in the new ship battles. Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is centred around four main islands – Hawaii and Nele island, which return from Infinite Wealth, along with Rich island where you wash up and the secret pirate haunt of Madlantis.

While you can fast travel between these four areas, each one has surrounding waters you can freely navigate, where you’ll encounter enemy fleets and side missions (mostly involving a gauntlet of enemy waves) on small offshore territories.

The sailing itself is in step with Like A Dragon’s goofy, arcade spirit, with speed rings boosting you along the seas and the ability to drift, Fast & Furious style, during battles to line up cannon barrages. It’s silly, relatively shallow, but consistently fun throughout – mostly thanks to the impressive amount of ship customisation.

Beyond your vessel’s aesthetics, you can upgrade the turret machineguns and cannons (including lasers and flamethrowers) on both sides, make improvements to the ship’s general durability and speed, buy rocket launchers Majima can wield during ship battles, and personalise the crew you’ve assembled behind a specific weapon, or as part of your boarding crew when invading other ships.

The amount of customisation is impressive but the ease of battles (on normal difficulty at least) means you rarely have to meaningfully engage in these systems. The toughest battles are in the Pirate Coliseum and a dedicated side quest against the Devil’s Fleet, which is the best part of the game because it actually feels like a challenging pirate romp.

Here you’re rushing down islands to take on enemy waves for treasure without the usual crutch of healing items, fending off enemy boss fleets at sea, and taking on a Devil’s Fleet mini-boss with all of your crew members in a huge spectacle brawl. This is when Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii lives up to its potential as a pirate spin-off, so it’s a shame the systems underneath the hull feel underutilised.

If anything, the re-use of Hawaii’s huge map from Infinite Wealth feels like an unnecessary retread. There are a stack of new sub-stories, mostly involving returning characters from its predecessor, and a slate of returning mini-games, including Dragon Kart and Crazy Delivery, but the series’ usual open world tourism is at odds with the pace of the main story.

Hawaii’s inclusion does extend the overall longevity, but it’s hard not to think Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii would have been a better, more focused spin-off if it prioritised life at sea throughout.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii lives up to its absurd name through its hugely entertaining combat and ship battles, but it’s bogged down by a forgettable story and noticeable padding which dilutes its best qualities. Like A Dragon games are usually impressive because they do so many things at once, but in Majima’s swashbuckling case, less might have been considerably more.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £54.99
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Release Date: 21st February 2025
Age Rating: 18

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